Richard Bacon: BBC Is 'Paranoid And Nervous'

Richard Bacon: BBC Is 'Paranoid And Nervous'

Radio Five Live presenter Richard Bacon has described the BBC as being a "paranoid and nervous organisation" which is too worried about being talked about in newspapers.

Bacon, who appeared on BBC One's This Week on Thursday evening, admitted he'd even started to censor his own shows because he didn't want to be accused of being offensive by BBC bosses.

"It's quite a paranoid and nervous organisation. What they [the BBC] ask themselves is 'will this be in the Daily Mail? Will the Daily Mail make hay with this?'

"I think if something is in the paper, but can be defended, so what. I think it's quite healthy, but actually the BBC is very scared of being in the paper, so I'm constantly trying to second guess what is and what isn't offensive.

Asked by host Andrew Neil if he ever censored himself, Bacon said: "Yes, I have. I do it quite a lot.

"I find myself thinking 'could this be picked up by a newspaper?' Because if it is then I'll be in trouble.

"It's partly to do with that old Ross/Brand affair and I think we are still living in the aftermath of that."

The BBC was brutally criticised after former hosts Jonathan Ross and comedian Russell Brand made prank telephone calls to actor Andrew Sachs - who played Manuel in Fawlty Towers - about his granddaughter.

Ross was suspended following weeks of bad press for the BBC.

Being pressed further on the issue of complaint to the BBC, Bacon was asked about Twitter and its role.

"You can whip up a bit of a storm and gather some supporters and get them to complain and before you know it twenty or thirty people have complained to the BBC and then BBC will get very nervous.

"It gives people a louder voice than they sometimes deserve," he added.

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